Pages

May 28, 2010

Grandma's Quilt

A number of years ago, Ron and I visited his Grandma Wilda in southern Illinois.  The night we stayed with her we slept beneath a wonderful quilt that I knew was made in the wedding ring pattern. 

That night before we fell to sleep, Grandma came in and sat on the end of the bed, telling us the story of the quilts she had made with her mother.  There were even more quilts in the closet in her room and I was overwhelmed by their beauty and history.



She told us each quilt was made by hand and that the fabrics used were from the dresses her mother had made for herself and Wilda.  The fabrics were vintage prints that automatically made you think of summer days, being barefoot in the grass, and riding on a tractor in the field.  The tiny stitches that made up each of the quilts were lovingly quilted into each one by Wilda and her mother Lucy. 

A few years after that stay I was shocked to see the quilt arrive in the postman's hands.  It was wrapped very simply in brown paper and a lot of tape.  Inside the wrapper the note said she had wanted me to have the quilt since it had seemed to mean so much to me to know all about it.  Ron and I have both cherished it and often take it down off of the top of the armoire just to rub our hand across the fabrics. . . . . . reminding us of days gone by and a loving little grandmother who was so very thoughtful.

10 comments:

  1. What a stunning quilt!! What's even better is the story behind it and a loving grandmother!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a gorgeous quilt! And, what a sweet gesture to give it to you.

    My relatives in Pennsylvania also made these quilts, and some of the fabrics look very familiar. It reminds me that people that didn't have quite as many choices as we do now made such beautiful works of art from what they did have. I had a Great Aunt that made these until she was 95!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow. What a wonderful story and a beautiful treasure. :) Cathryn

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a wonderful story and what a lovely keepsake to cherish and pass on to your grandchildren.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Quilts can be a part of our heritage and I know you cherish that quilt so much... What a touching story. Thanks for sharing it. Faye

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is beautiful. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful quilt and she must be so glad to know the quilt is in good hands.
    I hope someday that my children will also love all the quilts I made and cherished them

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have a wedding ring quilt made by my grandma for our wedding gift with very much the same story as yours. They are special pieces of our past. My grandma is the reason I learned to quilt.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Diane: Could you please, please let me know what part of Southern IL? My mother's entire family are from Red Bud and Chester area. I have some of the quilts my great aunt made including one for my wedding. My grandparents are buried in Modoc, IL. I think the history of quilts is wonderful and I am so happy I have some very nice ones. Thanks for this post.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Janet. . . . . the families are from the Salem/Dix/Mt. Vernon area of southern Illinois. Not sure how close that is to the areas you mentioned. :)
    Diane

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking time from your day to drop me a line or two!

Diane